Attention shoppers: If you were relieved that the proposed nickel tax on plastic bags did not go into effect as planned in October, start worrying again -- the city council's ban is set to go into effect Feb. 15.

But not if several state legislators can help it. "New Yorkers are tired of being nickel and dimed," state Senator Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat, said at a press conference outside City Hall on Sunday, Jan. 15. "Why are we picking on the most vulnerable New Yorkers ... and taxing them over and over again?"

The Senate plans to vote on Tuesday, Jan. 17 to block the City Council's move.

Proponents of the ban say it's a way to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the store. New Yorkers reportedly toss some 10 billion plastic bags a year, which for the most part wind up in landfills and cost the city $12.5 million a year to haul off.

Opponents say the measure amounts to an added tax on consumers. They stress that often shoppers will reuse the plastic bags at home to store food or line garbage pails, avoiding having to separately buy packaged plastic bags.